Accident Overview
The pilot of an aircraft conducting glider tow operations reported that he had completed several flights from a grass airstrip. He noted that the strip was initially frozen. For the last two of these flights, he performed takeoffs heading west and landings heading east, which he did to set up for the subsequent tow.
After the seventh glider tow, the pilot intended to execute a long landing. The airplane touched down beyond the midpoint of the runway under calm wind conditions. When the pilot applied the brakes, he found them to be ineffective. The airplane continued off the end of the runway, crossing two fences before coming to a stop.
The accident took place at a time when the frozen ground had only recently begun to thaw at the surface. This condition caused the grass to become slippery, which explains the lack of braking effectiveness. The pilot reported these details, and no other factors were noted.